Signal mechanism.



W. K. HOWE.

SIGNAL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION mum 11AY11,1911.

1,071 ,922, Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPM C0,. WASHINGTON. n. c.

W. K. HOWE.

SIGNAL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY1l,1911,

1 ,071 ,922. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEIJT 2 V] T NE SSES W. K. HOWE. SIGNAL MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 11111111, 1911.

1,071,922. Patented Sept.2,1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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3% XWATZIORNEY barren srarns r el @FFWE WINTHROP K. HOWE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL RAIL\VAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CQRPORA'IION OF NEW YORK.

SIGNAL MECHANISM.

Z '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVIN'rnnor K. Howe, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have in vented a new and useful Signal Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a signal and particularly to a signal which has no counterweight adapted to return it to danger posi tion, such as the signals ordinarily placed between the tracks of a railway and commonly called dwarf signals.

The object of this invention is to construct a signal of the character described which will not have excessive side strains imparted to the shaft upon which the signal is fastened, by the means used to return the signal to danger position.

The invention consists in the means, a practical embodiment of which is herein described, a better understanding of which will be had as the description progresses, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a back elevation of the form selected to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation on the line AB of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View looking in the direction of the arrows a, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view looking in the direction of the arrows b, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a back elevation of another structure embodying the invention. Fig. 6 is a detail view.

0012structi0m-1 designates a plate which is to be bolted by means of bolts inserted in the holes 2, to a case containing a motor and mechanism driven thereby which by suitable connection is attached to shaft 3, so that when the motor is properly actuated, the shaft 3 will be oscillated in the direction of the arrow 0, Fig. 1, thereby oscillating the semaphore designated as a whole by 1, so that the semaphore will display what is called the proceed aspect.

Attached rigidly to shaft 3 is the member 5 which has pins 6, 7, inserted therein at diametrically opposite points and has a pro jecting portion 8, adapted when the semaphore is in the normal position to bear Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 11, 1911.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Serial No. 626,609.

against stop 9; the pins 6 and 7 are of such size that the rods 1.0 and 11 having eyes in their end, may fit thereover, the rods 10 and -11 extending in the form of the invention illustrated downwardly through a table 12 which serves to restrain the rods from undesired movements; the springs 12-) and 14 being placed about the rods, one of the springs, namely, 13, hearing at its upper end against the under-surface of the table 12, therod 11 having on its lower end a collar 15, which has an enlarged shoulder 16 against which the lower end of the spring 13 bears; the collar 15 being pinned by means of pin 17 rigidly to rod 11 and at such a distance from the lower end of the rod 11 that when the projection 8 on the member 5 is against the stop 9, the collar 15 will be just above the upper surface of the table 18. The spring 14; bears at its lower end against a collar 19, which has a projecting shoulder 20, the collar resting upon the lower plate 18, the upper end of the spring 14v bears against a shoulder 21, upon a collar 22,which collar although spring pressed upwardly by the spring 1 1 is limited in its upward movement by the cotter pin 23, passed through the rod 10. About each of the rods are placed members 24: which simply serve to prevent the springs 13 and 141 from bending out of line with rods 10 and 11 when under tension, a cross section Off the members 241 being shown by Fig. (i.

The springs 13 and 1 1 are partially inclosed at their lower ends as shown in Fig. 1, by constructing upstanding members 30, 31 and 32 from the lower table 18. These upstanding members are best shown in section in Fig. 41.

Fig. 5, shows the two springs 13 and 1 1 acting upon rods 10 and 11 to return member 5 to a position so that projection S rests against stop 9 and in addition two rods 25 and 26 are attached to the pins 7 and (3 and are spring pressed by the springs 28 and 27 in exactly the same manner as are the rods 10 and 11.

0pmwtizm.--\Vhen a turning movement is imparted to shaft 3 tending to turn it in the direction of arrow Fig. 1, the member 5, together with semaphore 4;, are turned in the direction of the arrow 0, and by the same movement the rod 10 is pushed downwardly in the direction of the arrow (Z, Fig.

1, which, through cotter pin 23 and collar 22 causes the spring 14 to be compressed against the lower collar 19, and at the same time the rod 11 is moved upwardly and the collar 15 bearing the shoulder 16 is also moved upwardly as it is attached by means of pin 17 to rod 11, thus causing the spring 13 to be co npressed against the lower side of the upper table 12, and in the Well known manner the mechanism actuating shaft 3 to perform the different functions heretofore described is held in the moved position until such time as it is desired to return the semaphore l to the normal position, at which time the force holding the shaft 3 in its moved position is Withdrawn, and as is also well understood upon the withdrawing of this force it is desired that the semaphore l return to normal position, but'on account of the fact that in the situations in which a type of signal such as is described is used, the semaphore 4t cannot be'so weighted as to have a bias to the normal position, consequently, the springslil and l t are used which, as soon as the force exerted to more the shaft 3 in the moved position is removed expand, spring 13 acting through shoulder 16 on collar 15, and pin 17 cause rod 11 to be pushed downwardly, tending to carry with it pin 7 thus tending to. rotate shaft 3 toward the normal position, at the same time spring 14 acting through shoulder 21 on collar 22 by means of pin 23 causes rod 10 to be pushed upwardly, carrying with it the pin 6, thus also tending to rotate the member 5 toward its normal position.

It will be observed that by using a plurality of springs any side strains upon the hearing are equalized so that there will be no tendency for the shaft 3 to bind in its bearings, thus greatly lessening the liability of the signal sticking in the clear posi tion. 7

It has been found in practice that two springs acting as heretofore described are entirely practicable and so reduce side strains upon the hearings in which shaft 3 revolves, that no difiiculty is encountered by reason of stuck clear signals, but in a particularly bad situation where the semaphore 4 may be exposed for a very long time to extreme weather, especially when accompanied by low temperature, if the employment of two springs does not secure the desired result, 4; springs may be employed as illustrated by Fig. The use of l springs entirely eliminates all unequal strains upon the bearings on which shaft 3 turns, so that an almost ideal structure is obtained for the purpose of returning an unbiased semaphore to normal position after being moved to the clear position.

To be able to change from indication in one quadrant to indication in another without the use of any other parts than already exist in a signal, is a very desirable requisite. In the mechanism here illustrated such a change can be easily made, for the stop 9 has faces on each side making the same angle with a horizontal line so if the mechanism is arranged to indicate as does the one illustrated in the upper right hand quadrant, or in the lower left hand quadrant, then by removing member 5 from shaft 3, turning the face which is now exposed as shown in Fig. 1 so as to face in the opposite direction and placing the member on shaft 3 so that projection 8 bears against the right hand face 29 of the stop 9, the member 5 will be in a position for the signal to indicate in the lower right or upper left hand quadrant. At the same time .pins 6 and 7 must be put through member 5 from the other side and rods 10 and 1:1 andthe mechanism consisting ofsprings and collars cooperating therewith must be interchanged. The position of member 5- under such conditions is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the position of the other parts is suflicient-ly obvious. I 7

Having explained the principle of my invention and having illustrated concrete physical embodiments thereof, and having thoroughly described the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1, In a signal mechanism, a signal, a shaft upon which said signal is rigidly mounted, said shaft adapted for oscillation, a member rigidwith said shaft, pins attached to said member at diametrically opposite points, rods connected to said pins,

extending from said member substantially parallel to each other, springs surrounding said rods, a rigid table through which both of said rods pass, one of said springs bearing against the side of said table remote from said member, a collar with a projecting should-er pinned to one of said rods against which the other end of said last mentioned spring rests, a collar on the other red in proximity to the side of said table remote from said member held by a pin and having a projecting shoulder, the other of said springs bearing against said collar at one end, a second rigid table,

through which. said rods pass, a collar loosely surrounding said other rod and resting against said second table against which the other end of said other spring rests.

2. In a signal mechanism, a signal, a shaft upon which said signal is mounted, said shaft adapted for oscillation, a member rigid with said shaft, connecting means attached to said member on each side of the center of the shaft, rods connected to said connecting means, extending from said member substantially parallel to each other, springs surrounding said rods, a rigid table through which one of said rods passes, one of said loosely surrounding said other rod and resting against said second table against which the other end of said other spring rests.

WVINTHROP K. HOWE.

springs bearing against the side of said table remote from said member, means attached to said rod against which the other end of said last mentioned spring rests, means attached to the other rod, the other of said springs bearing against said means, a second rigid table through Which said rods pass, means Witnesses:

LILLIAN L. PHILLIPS, MARY G. DALBEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents. Washington, D. G. 

